Higher education should be accessible. President Abraham Lincoln believed in access to higher education. One of the things he did was create a land grant system that would have a mission of creating higher education opportunities for the public in every state.
My public university is located in the central part of my state which makes it a good location in the middle. Easy access. The other attractive feature is that this location is sought after by people from around the world who come here for their vacations and/or work experiences—Orlando, Florida. At the end of October, early childhood professionals and parents of young children came to Orlando for the Division of Early Childhood international conference. My Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) program at the University of Central Florida (UCF) had a booth in the Exhibit Hall. Our goal was to get the word out about three different opportunities for people who would like to pursue higher education at our public access institution. I had the opportunity to share with others what makes UCF an outstanding place to come to school. I talked with people about our ECDE undergraduate degree, ECDE master’s degree, and ECDE doctoral degree programs. Our ECDE master’s students, Ms. Toni-Ann Rusiana and Ms. Kim Nassoiy, were there to share valuable information with participants about higher education and their experiences as students in the ECDE program at UCF.
President Lincoln said, “Whatever you are, be a good one.” Higher education can help prepare you to become a good one. Like Lincoln, I believe in the power of education. There is no better way than through education to level the playing field and create opportunities for everyone who seeks to improve themselves, improve their communities, and improve society.
